23 Kisses
by Xenia van Hausen
Summary: The 23 times that Alfred and Arthur kiss, the ones that are closest to their hearts, spanning over the years that they've been together.
1. Part I

_May 16, 2012**  
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_Summary: 23 times that Alfred and Arthur kiss, the ones that are closest to their hearts, spanning over the years that they've been together.  
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**23 Kisses**

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**1. Their first.**

It started out as nothing but a simple chat, a normal day out between the two of them. Alfred drove him home, parked outside his house, and somehow, Arthur didn't immediately open the door to leave. They sat, looking at each other with an unsaid, unknown understanding. Stuttering, Arthur snapped his eyes away and was about to pull the door handle when Alfred reached over and smiled softly at him. He leaned in, lips close, non-verbally asking Arthur, who acquiesced and their lips met, soft, slow, hesitant, and thrilling. Both could feel their stomachs flip and their hearts pound, as Arthur hurriedly rushed inside his home, leaving Alfred dazed and grinning like a fool.

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**2. The most natural.**

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It was a light peck on his lips as he angrily stared at the floor, pouting, after Alfred had burst out laughing upon seeing the deformed globs of what were supposed to be sweets on the kitchen counter—a murmur of an apology against his skin as they pulled apart mere centimeters a few seconds later; Arthur's face flushed red while Alfred's eyes glowed happily, a soft, teasing smile on his face as he wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist.

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**3. The most unexpected.**

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From his seat on the couch, Alfred animatedly gushed about his new job as a mechanical engineer for an aerospace company, about how much closer he had become to fulfilling his dream, and Arthur, sipping his cup of tea after having settled down at home an hour or so ago after work, sat on the loveseat and appeared seemingly uninterested in Alfred's continuous moving of his mouth; Alfred didn't mind, for he knew Arthur _was _listening, but he was caught by surprise, effectively shutting up, when Arthur stood, stepped over Alfred's legs, and kissed him full on the lips. Alfred's eyes were still wide and shocked when Arthur pulled away with a _pop! _of the lips, his expression unchanged—calm, bordering on indifference, except for the slight twinkle in his green eyes.

"That's great, Alfred," he said, before he picked up his up for refilling in the kitchen.

Alfred snapped out of his reverie as Arthur was halfway to the kitchen, and he jumped out of his seat to chase after the man, so that he could wrap his arms around him and squeeze, whispering why he was lucky enough to call him his.

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_A/N: This is my project to improve my writing style, and I'm enjoying it so far! I hope you like it, too, and will be kind enough to leave me a review or two, as I try to update regularly. Thank you for reading. ;)_


	2. Part II

_August 24, 2012_

_23 Kisses – Part II_

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**4. The saddest.**

It was not long after they fell into the "comfortable" stage in their relationship. Arthur called him in the middle of the night, rousing Alfred from his sleep and making the overly considerate boy jolt awake in a panic. Arthur never called at night.

He rushed out to meet him at the view—_their _view—and refused to let Arthur think that he was anything but desperate to know what was wrong.

He already got half-way out of his car before he even properly turned the engine off, his eyes locked on Arthur's silhouette on the bench, facing away from him.

"Arthur, I'm here," he called as he ran.

Arthur turned and stood, biting his lower lip as his tired eyes looked into Alfred's, shooting arrows of pain into his chest.

"It's okay," Alfred murmured, reaching an arm out and pet Arthur's hair. "I'm right here," he soothed as he easily pulled Arthur in for a kiss. The contact broke all control Arthur had left, a flow of sobs and hiccups wreaked his body, the trembling strong against Alfred's chest; he wanted to pull away, hug Arthur properly, but he couldn't, not when Arthur desperately clung onto him and his lips quivered, though they pressed against Alfred's chapped skin in a way that told him not to leave.

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**5. The sweetest.**

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The first thing he heard was, "Good morning, Art," as he stirred awake to see Alfred pulling back through blurry eyes, smiling down at him. He had felt that lingering touch to his mouth, the soft, slightly chapped skin of Alfred's lips.

Arthur squinted his eyes and couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his lips, before motioning for Alfred to lean back down.

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**6. The happiest.**

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A tight embrace crushed Arthur into Alfred's chest and he was being kissed forcefully, giddily, sloppily, as Alfred couldn't control the wide grin that pushed the apples of his cheeks way up into his eyes. After a whole summer of asking Arthur to be his, just _his, _Alfred finally got the best present—_the _only present he ever desperately needed—in his life.

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_A/N: Any suggestions as to what else I could write about? I'd be delighted to hear your ideas!_


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